The Start
by Mika-chan
Summary: What motivated Ron to learn chess? Acid pops of course! ...Well, they were involved anyway.


This story is set during the summer after Bill graduates from Hogwarts. This is my first and only HP fic I'll ever write (I'm hesitant to mess with Rowling's masterpiece ^^;). It's pointless really, but I hope you enjoy it anyway ^_^ 

Words in _italics_ are characters' thoughts.   
Words _**bolded & italicized**_ are stressed words. 

The Start   
By Mika-chan   


When Bill came home from a rather rousing game of Quidditch with some of his old classmates, he hadn't expected the house to be so quiet. Considering it was only a little past two in the afternoon he assumed the house would be filled with the usual bickering, laughing and occasional scream. Yet all there was was silence. He knew Charlie was off with a few friends in Hogsmeade and Percy with his dad at the office, so expected the rest of the family to be here. 

He took a few cautious steps down the hallway, listening for any signs of ambush from the twins. A surprise attack was never unlikely. Vaguely he heard a few strange noises coming from the family room and started to head in that direction. As he drew nearer the noises distinguished themselves into a sort of clack-clack sound and what he thought was a scowl, interrupted with the occasional sniffle. 

All pretenses were dropped and Bill rounded the corner only to see Ron sitting in the middle of the family room with a muggle chessboard in front of him. His Dad had brought it home just yesterday going on and on about how fascinating it was though none of them had taken much interest in it. The pieces didn't even _**move**_. 

The former Head Boy scratched his head, glancing about only to see that the house was indeed empty. It was rather unusual for his Mum to leave Ron here all by himself. "Hey Ron, where is everybody?" 

He watched as his youngest brother first started, eyes lifting from the board to him before he quickly looked down again and began wiping his eyes with the sleeves of the worn and oversized t-shirt he wore. "Don't care," was his reply, voice coming out rough. With small fingers, Ron picked up one of the white chess pieces and hopped it over a few black ones before putting them off to the side. 

Bill was silent for a moment. Well, something had obviously happened while he was gone, that was for sure, and considering how stubborn Ron tended to be, the only way he would find out what happened would have to be in a round about way. 

Putting his broom off to the side for the moment, he made his way across the room until he sat himself down opposite his brother. 

Ron blinked up in surprise, meeting his older brother's eyes for a second before turning away, not wanting him to see that he was crying. He scowled again, angry with himself for being the crybaby Fred and George always teased him of being. He picked up a black, horse-shaped piece this time and knocked over a white castle one with enough force it flew a few feet from the board. _**Stupid** Fred. **Stupid** George._

Bill watched the rook sail through the air and land with a light thump on the carpet. He was thankful that this wasn't wizard chess or there would have been much jeering and cries of outrage coming from the pieces. He turned to face his brother once more and began to devise some way to breach the subject that was clearly upsetting the youngest male Weasley. Glancing down at the board he found his solution. 

"You can't move that there." 

His words brought Ron's movements to a halt, his frowning face dissolving into a confused one. "Why not?" 

"Because," Bill began, pointing to the piece held in Ron's fingers, "that's a bishop and it can only move diagonally." 

"Oh." Ron put the piece down. After a few beats, he slowly pointed to another one. "What about that one?" 

Bill smiled. "Well, that one is called a knight and it moves in an "L" shape. Like this." Bill lifted the knight and demonstrated every which way the piece could go, Ron's eyes following every movement he made. Nodding tentatively, Ron pointed to another piece and this continued on and on until Bill explained the entire game of chess within the hour. 

Ron gnawed on his lower lip unconsciously as he tried to sort the whole game out. "So, it's like you're setting traps for the other person and you have to try an' think of all sorts of ways that he might go and how to stop him from trapping your king?" 

"Right," Bill said, "But you also have to try and trap his king too." Bill watched as Ron thought this over, uncertain if he would be able to understand. Ron was only six, seven in a few months and chess was rather complicated. He had almost stopped teaching him about halfway through when he himself realized how difficult this might be on Ron, but Ron insisted. 

Bill grinned. _Stubborn to the end, Ron was._

"Okay..." Ron finally said, albeit slowly and looked up, eyes eager. "Can we have a go now? I think I know the rules now." 

"Sure," Bill said, glad that Ron had finally begun to cheer up. "Which color would you like to be?" 

"Is black okay?" 

"Yea, whatever you want." 

They set up the board and Bill went first, Ron following with his move. Fifteen minutes into the game Bill finally brought up the underlying issue that started this whole chess business. 

"So, where did everyone go off to today?" 

Ron visibly wilted at the question before his forehead creased in concentration due to Bill's move. "ToyWorld," Ron finally revealed, though distractedly. _Why had Bill moved there...?_

Well, that clears up a few things, Bill thought, now realizing why his little brother was so upset. ToyWorld was the Weasley's favorite toy store and if Ron was left behind, there was only one logical reason why. 

"So, what did you do?" Bill asked, smiling slightly as he leaned on his hand that was propped up on his left knee. 

Ron's head snapped up from the board, practically shouting his answer. "I didn't _**do**_ anything! Fred and George messed up my room because of the acid pop I guess—but it's not like I _**wanted**_ Mum to spank him with her broom for that—and Mum said I couldn't go because my room wasn't clean!" Face now flushed with anger and fists clenched tightly on his knees, Ron lowered his eyes back down to the board. _Ah ha!_ And he made his move before continuing his tirade. 

"And Mum wouldn't even believe me when I told her! Saying why Fred and George would do that as if they ever need a reason to do _**anything**_." Face set in what seemed to be a permanent glower, Ron waited for Bill's move, eyes once more downcast. 

For his part, Bill knew words of comfort did little to nothing in these sorts of situations, so he did what any good older brother would do. "Do you want me to help you get back at them?" 

As if a Cheering Charm was cast, Ron's face instantly lit up. "Really?" 

"Sure, why not?" He was moving out in a month or so. Surely, it would be enough time for him to escape Fred and George's wrath... 

Ron beamed. "Thanks!" 

Bill returned the gesture. "No problem." And he allowed his attention to turn back to the game and did a double take. There were, however, some certain problems with his side of the game. Bill rubbed the top of his head. _How in the world did he know I was...if I go there...no-no, he would..._

Finally making his move, Bill glanced up in time to see Ron give him a winning smile before the youth took his bishop. 

"Check." 

And an hour later when the remainder of the Weasley family returned home, Bill was finding himself in the same position for the second and third time, which by then were accompanied by taunts of "Stop letting him win, Bill!" and replies of "He is _**not**_!" and "I'm not!" 

That night, new toys were left forgotten in the kitchen as the entire Weasley family sat around an old muggle chessboard and continuously challenged their youngest boy until he passed out on said muggle board a little after one in the morning. 

To this day Mr. Weasley still considers it his only win against his son...despite the exasperated looks he would receive from said son whenever he brought it up. 

End.   


Eh...cheesy, I know. Oh well... 

Mika-chan   
August 3, 2002 


End file.
